In his first visit to Varanasi after being re-elected for a third consecutive term, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the 17th installment of the PM-KISAN scheme on Tuesday, amounting to more than Rs 20,000 crores for around 9.26 crore beneficiary farmers across the country.

The latest disbursement takes the total benefits provided under the PM-KISAN scheme to over Rs 3.04 lakh crore, reaching more than 11 crore eligible farmer families since its inception in 2019.

During the event, PM Modi also granted certificates to over 30,000 women from Self Help Groups (SHGs) as ‘Krishi Sakhis’ under the Krishi Sakhi Convergence Program (KSCP). KSCP aims to transform rural India through the empowerment of rural women as Krishi Sakhi, by imparting training and certification of Krishi Sakhis as Para-extension Workers. This certification course also aligns with the objectives of the “Lakhpati Didi” Program.

Addressing the gathering, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath hailed PM Modi as the first politician in 62 years of India’s independence to be elected as Prime Minister for a third consecutive term, crediting him for giving India a new identity on the global stage.

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that with a single click, PM Modi would transfer Rs 20,000 crore to the bank accounts of about 9.25 crore farmers, bringing the total disbursement under the scheme to Rs 3.24 lakh crore.

The PM-KISAN scheme, launched in 2019, provides financial assistance of Rs 6,000 per year in three equal installments to all land-holding farmers, subject to certain exclusion criteria based on higher income status. The funds are transferred directly into the bank accounts of farmers’ families across the country through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mode.

(Inputs from ANI)